"We'd been hoping to keep this quite [sic] until all of our nearest & dearest received official notifications in the mail however the news is out there now. "We were married on the stunning Whitehaven Beach in front of our parents & our daughters 😘," Ms Lynch captioned the image, tagging her new husband's Instagram account, @jthurston06.

More than 2400 people had liked the image by Friday morning.

"Wonderful news for the champion @jthurston06 and you his beautiful bride and gorgeous princesses! God bless your family and future!,'' one fan wrote.

Thurston, the Cowboys 32-year-old co-captain popped the question while the couple were holidaying in the US in 2012.

The likeable footballer is already being hailed as one of the game's greats of all time.

He's been compared to Wally Lewis, Arthur Beetson and Bob Fulton - to name just a few.

Johnathan ThurstonGetty Images

After guiding North Queensland into only its second grand final in its 20th anniversary year, and then being crowned the Dally M Player of the Year for a record fourth time, Thurston capped off the season by delivering the Cowboys and their fans the most special moment in the club's history.

Thurston's deeds not only for the Cowboys, but also for Queensland and Australia in recent years, have again sparked debate about his place among the game's all-time greats.